Suspect in Deadly Hofstra Student Home Invasion Won Praise from Parole Panel

Andrea Rebello, 20, was shot once in the head by a police officer during a confrontation with an armed suspect who broke into her off-campus home

The parolee shot and killed by police after he broke into a 20-year-old Hofstra University student's home last week and held her and her friends at gunpoint won praise from a state parole panel in 2011 before his conditional release from prison.

The Hofstra student, Andrea Rebello, was also fatally shot by police. Officers fired eight shots when they say suspect Dalton Smith pointed his gun at them; one of them struck Rebello in the head. She was laid to rest Wednesday on Long Island.

Smith was released on parole in February after completing nine years of his 10-year sentence for armed robbery. His lengthy criminal record also includes assault.

Citing a transcript of his parole hearing, the panel praised Smith for completing a program to curb aggressive behavior and furthering his education.

It said he could be given a conditional release if he agreed to maintain employment, submit to drug testing and comply with all court orders.

It denied him discretionary parole, saying it would "not be compatible with the welfare of society at large."

The state corrections department and community supervision couldn't be reached for comment.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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